SLA soldiers, gunmen clash in Eravur

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 October 2005, 11:31 GMT]A group of unidentified gunmen and the Sri Lanka Army soldiers exchanged gunfire for more than fifteen minutes in Kaluwankerny, an SLA controlled village in Eravur, 20 km north of Batticaloa, civilian sources told TamilNet. Meanwhile, Eravur Police said SLA soldiers had rushed to the village when a Sri Lanka Police Jeep was confronted by the gunmen. More than 5 armed men were involved in the clash, police said. The gunmen who fled the scene left behind a T-56 rifle, police sources added.

No casualties were reported.

Earlier in the day, around 6:00 a.m. SLA soldiers and policemen cordoned off and searched the Sithandy Divison no. 2 and no.3 areas in Eravur. The house to house search operation continued till noon, civilian sources said.

The soldiers blocked civilian movement, vehicles were stopped and roads were closed during the search operation, sourced added.